1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

The 1957 Eldorado Brougham was designed to compete with the Lincoln-Continental Mark II. Cadillac's completely restyled 1957 offerings borrowed heavily from the lines of the Park Avenue, a hardtop sedan "idea" car shown at the 1954 Motorama. A new X-member chassis contributed to structural rigidity as well as to a profile nearly three inches lower than before. Of course, the lack of side rails meant that the new frame afforded virtually no lateral impact protection, but Detroit wasn't particularly safety-conscious in those days. The 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible had special rear quarter panels featuring a shark like fin that was different than the other models. Engine; 365/325 HP with 2x4 Carter carbs and Batwing air cleaner. Four-speed Hydra-Matic drive transmission and 'Sabre Spoke' aluminum wheels. The interior has electrical gauges. The head lights turn on at dusk and are also capable of switching from high beam to low beam when they sensed oncoming traffic automatically (1957 invention). List price of the Eldorado, as displayed, was $7,286. Only 1,800 were built. Today this car is estimated to sell for $110,000 - $230,000, depending on condition.